Chapter 11
DERECHO JUDICIAL STAMPS
(Judicial Fees)
Article 11. The   doubts  which  are  presented  to  the  clerks concerning the computation of   the   fees  of   the   judges  will   be  decided  by   the   latter.

Article 12.  From  the day on which  the  judicial stamps begin  to  be used the  reviewers  of   the   appraisements of costs  established  in  the   island  of Cuba in consequence of the Royal  Cedula of   the   29th  of  July of 1845, which prohibited  the  Alcaldes Mayores  to  collect  fees, will   cease to function.

Article 13. The Superintendents of  Cuba and Porto Rico will   make ordinary or   extraordinary visits  to the courts  of their  territory  as often as   they believe it  convenient, to the end that,   what  is ordered having full effect,   the   Treasury may  not suffer any injury.

Article 14.  The same Superintendents  will  remit  at  the  end  of  each three months  to  the  Administration of  Colonies  a comparative  statement  of   the judicial stamps used in each  court and of  the number of   sheets  of  stamped paper  of  class  they consumed  in the  same,   in accordance with  the  attached model,  requesting  partial  statements  from  the senior clerks of   these (courts)

 Article 15. That which   is  ordered  in  the  preceding  articles will   be punctually  observed   in  the  Treasury Court of the island  of  Cuba and  in any others of  this class which may be established in accordance with  the provisions of   the  Royal  Cedula of   the   30th of   January, last.

Article 16. The same instructions will be observed with respect   to the Treasury Court of the island of Porto Rico, whose Judge and  Fiscal (Prosecuting   Attorney)  will  enjoy  from the   (date  of)  the countersigning (by the Governor)  of   this  Royal Order  the fixed  annual   salary   which  the Superintendent Governor   fixes,   listening   to  the  Council   (Acuerdo)  and  to the  Directing  Board of  Finance  and rendering  a  report, by means  of   an "expedience'' (papers  pertaining   to  a matter)   for   the   decision of   Her   Majesty.

Article 17. In the  Military Courts  of   the   expressed  Island of   Cuba  and Porto  Rico,   whose  officials  enjoy fixed  salaries  by virtue  of  that ordered  in the  Royal   Decree  of   the   24th of   January of 1853, the previous   instructions will have  full   effect,   to which end  the  opportune; orders  will  be dictated by  the  Ministry of   War.  At  the same time and with  the  object of making this  reform extensive to  the Ecclesiastical Court of  that Archbishoprie  and to  the   Letrado Consulter  (Learned Counseller) of the Court Commerce, Her Majesty has  ordered   that Your  Excellency, after hearing  the advisory  decision of   the  Council  (Acuerde),   propose  the  fixed  salary  which  you consider  opportune to be constituted  for  those officials, and that Your   Excellency  decide as to the  proper  manner  in which  you  will   be  obliged to   have  it done with  respect  to the  Promotores Fiscales, and as is  the manner   of   collection by  the  Treasury of  the  judicial fees which  these officials  and the   Alcaldes Mayores obtain for  their  services until the opportune  stamps  are remitted to  you, the  printing of  which  is commanded by the Royal Order  of   this date.

"And   there is  decreed your compliance with  it from today and  that it will  be observed  from the  1st of February, next, on which  (date)  the  Alcaldes Majores   begin  the  enjoyment  of   the   fixed  salary  which  has been assigned to them by the Royal  Decree  of   the   1st of   this  month,  ceasing on  the same (date) to  receive  the   judicial fees which  they  obtain  for  their   services,  and  that  (fees)  should  enter the Public Treasury in the manner which  this Sovereign Order determines.   -  Transmitted to  you   for   your   information  and opportune ends.” [59]

In  accordance with   the   provisions  of   the   decree  above quoted   there were  printed for use in the Spanish  Colonies two issues of DERECHO JUDICIAL stamps,   those of  1856-61   and  of   1865.  The   issue  of   1856-61  includes  several colors of   each  denomination.   Forbin  believes  that certain colors were assigned to each of the three colonies  in which   these stamps  were used,   but   is  unable to  say which  colors were assigned  to  each  colony. The  writer   believes   that there  may  have  been  a new printing  of   these stamps   for   each of the five biennial  periods  between  1856  and  1865,  different  colors  being  used for each  printing.     Each  denomination,   except  the  one  real,   was  issued  in five different  colors.  The one   real was issued only   three colors.    The fact   that  the  use of  these  stamps  was  not extended  to   the  Philippines until 1860 would account  for   the   fact  that not more   than  three  colors  of   any one denomination are known  to have been  used in the Philippines. It is  uncertain whether  or not  the  10 reales and  100  reales  denominations were  ever used in  the   Philippines.     It  is  possible that  the  one  real denomination was not issued until 1860,  which would account   for   the  issue of this denomination in only  three  colors.

The  first  DERECHO JUDICIAL stamps for use exclusively  in the Philippines were issued,   according   to Forbin,   in  1866.    Two  denominations  were   issued, one peso and five pesos. In  the   same  year   a  separate   series  of   DERECHO JUDICAL stamps  was issued for use in Cuba and Porto Rico, and  it  appears that  subsequent  to   1866   the   DERECHO  JUDICIAL   stamps issued between  1856 and 1865 for  SPANISH  COLONIES  were not  used in Cuba and   Porto  Rico,     In the Philippines, however, the DERECHO JUDICIAL stamps  issued for  Spanish Colonies continued to be used until  at least as  late  as  1869. In  1869, the remaining stock of these stamps were surcharged "HABILITADO   POR  LA  NACION''   (Made  Valid By   the   Nation)  by  the order of   the   Provisional  Government  which  succeeded Queen Isabella II when  she was  deposed  by   the revolution of   1866.     It appears that   this surcharge  was ordered by virtue of Article 63 of the  Royal  Decree of February 12,   1830, which  required that whenever   a  new sovereign ascended the  throne all  current stamped paper must be surcharged “Made Valid for the Reign of _______” (inserting the name of the new sovereign). After the revolution of 1868, there was no sovereign. Hence the stamps issued by the deposed sovereign were “made valid by the nation” for use by the Provisional Government.

In  1874,   a Derecho  Judicial,   stamp was issued   with   the  denomination expressed  in pesetas.    The denomination of this stamp, 1.25 pesetas, was equivalent to exactly 2  reales.  It was expressed  in pesetas   in conformity with the practice followed for other stamps and  stamped  paper  issued during the period  from January  1,   1872,   to  December 31, 1877. Since only one  denomination was  issued in 1874, it  is   inferred that this  denomination was issued because of   the   exhaustion  of   the 2-reales denomination of   the  issue which  had been surcharged "HABILITADO POR  LA  NACION”   in  1869.     It may  farther be inferred  that all  other Dcrecho  Judicial   stamps  which had been  surcharged "Habilitado  Por  La Nacion"  in 1869  remained  in use until  the  end of   1877,  since  there  was no  further   issue  of   Derecho  Judicial  stamps  until 1878.

Contrary  to  the  practice  followed  for other stamps and stamped paper issued during  the period  subsequent to January 1, 1878,  the  issue of Derecho Judicial  stamps which appeared  in  1878  had the  denominations  expressed in reales.  This  may have been due  to  the fact  that the  Tariff  of Judicial  Fees was still  expressed  in reales.     On  the  other  hand,   the writer  has not been able   to  verify   the  date  of   issue  of   the  series  of   DERECHO  JUDICIAL stamps which Forbin lists  as   issued  in  1878.   Is   it  possible  that  they were in reality  issued prior to January 1, 1872.